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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Apr 29, 2021 2:45:40 GMT -5
One, two, Freddy's coming for you...though hopefully James & Mike can ward him off with support when they play Nightmare On Elm Street for the NES: -Two guests this time: Tony, whom I guess is the Tony from Mike & Tony Tuesdays (aka Ryan's successor for the Mike's non-James-involving gaming videos), and Erin, fellow livestreamer and Mike's girlfriend (I guess since as of today he still lists her in his YT recommendations when he puts up new videos...though they could also still be really good friends if the romance part didn't work out yet). -Love that James has a Halloween t-shirt, Tony has a Friday The 13th t-shirt, Erin has something with generic ghosts on it while Mike has a Ghostbusters t-shirt...so none of them even have a Nightmare On Elm Street shirt on. -Using the Four Score, they will play this game with four players and they make sure that everybody knows who everybody is...though it doesn't help James to get confused at one point later on. -Wow, Tony really sucks at that jump. -Hmm, how can you reach that bone high in the air and get out of that hole you can't jump out of? Easy, just turn on Turbo on the Four Score! (though it does take them a while to come to that conclusion) -Lots of neat Nightmare On Elm Street discussion going on in this video (especially love the story of Robert Englund's improvisation of a line to "Welcome To Prime Time, Bitch!"). -Wisdom from James: "The bones make the lasers go away." Truly words to live by. -Jesus, that's some horrific slowdown. Perhaps among the worst slowdown I have ever seen in an NES game. -I agree, that boombox has a really rocking wake-up tune. -Now imagine that...4-player Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. That sounds even more like a nightmare than anything with Freddy Krueger in it. -All in all, a fun video mostly due to the interactions of all four players. Now I wonder if this is the last guest video before Covid-19 struck...will keep my eyes on that.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on Apr 30, 2021 3:42:52 GMT -5
Hey, Mandarin, how come your mother lets you watch 2 videos instead of 1? First up, we are just gonna hit the streets looking for supernatural beings to eradicate as James & Mike play Ghoul Patrol for the SNES: -As they mention, it is the less talked about sequel to Zombies Ate My Neighbors and I admit that I had never heard about this game before I watched this J&MM episode. -Well, now we know what we can scare James & Mike with...slugs. Isn't there a slug horror movie that one could send them? -Oh my god, James's story about Mike, the suitcase and the slug! No spoilers from me, you have to hear it for yourself. -Well, regarding Bill Murray not appearing in another Ghostbusters movie again...*cough*Ghostbusters:Afterlife*cough* (though I don't know how the rumor mill was at the time of this episode back in November 2019). -Don't you just hate it when you turn into Death and don't have any enemies to kill? -Oh my, they can jump, jump and also slide, slide (small Mega Man 8 joke by me since they do mention that slide being similar to the Mega Man slide). -Jakazz? Have to admit I never saw it spelt like that before. -OMG, at the time of the video I didn't know it but that music playing during the fast forward section...is from Shantae! Awesome! Now there are some games that I would have wished for James & Mike to cover. At least I can still hope for Mike's livestreams. -Dang, that ghost pirate takes a lot of hits which is the reason for the fast-forward. -Finally getting to be death and killing those ghouls! Yeah, that makes James's day. -They actually think that Ghoul Patrol is better than Zombies Ate My Neighbors so they are astounded that it is not as well-known as that game. I am more astounded that this series was made by Lucasarts since I mostly know them from graphic adventures and Star Wars games. -Now I am wondering whether ToeJam & Earl was the only game ever to have that 2-player split-screen mechanic going... -All in all, a good episode featuring some interesting discussions and a good-looking game to watch. Next up, it's Mick Foley's favorite game when James & Mike play Faceball 2000 for the SNES: -Not gonna like, a game with those smiley faces with some of them saying "Have A Nice Day!" really give off a Mankind vibe to me. -You heard it here! Mike is the guy with the blue balls on the bottom! -Hehehe, if they had stopped for realz at that point, it would have been the shortest J&MM episode at only about 2 minutes 20 seconds. Though I admit I would love to see a video of Mike reacting to cats snuggling in boxes. -James & Mike definitely get the idea of the appropriate way to look at this game. -Overall, a decent video mostly for having a rather...interesting game.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 1, 2021 0:43:59 GMT -5
Everything's suddenly Greek to me when James & Mike play Battle Of The Olympus for the NES: -Really love James's childhood logic of thinking that this was the third Zelda game. I mean...The Legend Of Zelda...The Adventure Of Link...Battle Of The Olympus...it would make sense, right? -It does make sense since they immediately notice the many similarities it has to Zelda II like the way the buildings look, the animation of your main character etc.. I think at one point they even quote one of the makers of this game that they actually were inspired by the Zelda series in making this game. -Hey Jesus, who do you think you are to tell me to get out?! Actually, it turns out to be Athena in the end after you get told this by Zeus (who looks like Moses in this game). -Oh my god, James's life really seems to revolve around turds, doesn't it? And do some dogs really eat poop by other animals like cats? *blech* -Wow, the Famicom version of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde looks even more frustrating than the NES version...looking forward to hitting that stream by Mike in the future. And James also finds a new thing he hates about that game...that the fountain in it reminds him of a better game in Zelda II. -Of course, there's one hole you need to fall into when all of the others kill you. That sucks. -Well, the dealbreaker for them turns out to be the Woods Of Peloponnes with its labyrinthine structure and hidden doors which they find absolutely horrible...even the walkthrough they've been using doesn't really help that much. -It is funnier really to set old men on fire or walk on the ceiling for some reason. -They really do not like this game at all. Wondering if that is the general consensus on this game because I remember this one from German Nintendo Power and thought it looked decent. -Overall, a good episode with some good discussion and an, at least, interesting game.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 2, 2021 2:32:44 GMT -5
2 for the money! 1 for the show! Here we go! First up, we take a look into what celebrities do in their spare time when James & Mike play Celebrity Deathmatch for the Sony Playstation 2: -James actually watched that show when it aired and he really liked it with Mike saying that that is probably because he enjoys the monster brawls and all that s**t. Mike actually brings up that James, based on his liking Deathmatch and those brawls, should really be a big fan of wrestling which he agrees with but he never got that much into it. Oh well, he is better off being the Angry Video Game Nerd rather than the Angry Wrestling Nerd. -Impressive, they actually got a lot of celebrities to do their voices on the show itself. Wondering if that only went for the winners and the losers were the only ones voiced by stand-ins? -Of course, Jerry Springer uses spring attacks to attack. Why wouldn't he? -Darn, those buffering issues during the Ron Jeremy vs. Tommy Lee fight reminds me how my WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It looked at the end after years of using it. Dunno if it had that many scratches on it though. -OMG, James's face when seeing Carrot Top's "fatality". -Interesting selection of unlockable characters...kinda like they made this game just for James. -I agree with them...Justin Timberlake pooping out tunes is just too darn funny. -Their own celebrity, Snakewolf, does look like the most badass one of all despite looking like he came either from Doug or the Big City Greens world. -Overall, a very entertaining episode with them having a lot of fun with a silly game (where even Mike admits that going in, he thought the game would suck). Next up, we are gonna see a dinosaur who probably thinks he's more hip than the T-Rexes from "T-Rex". We shall see when James & Mike play Baby T-Rex for the SNES: -I always forget mentioning this but this time I won't. During this time in the James & Mike Mondays series (including a lot of the previous episodes), I really love how they used different consoles to display the show name, especially when they use the Game Boy. Those title screens are awesome. -They don't mention this but I think they use the SNES Variety Pack for this one (which I think is basically the SNES version of an NES Everdrive cartridge?). -From what I can gather, this is the prototype game of the title that would get an official release on the SNES as Radical Rex. Having never played that game, I don't know how much the game shown here differs from the final product. -Now that's some blast processing right there with the skateboard and stuff. -Love how Mike laughs at James slamming into that wall every time. -I don't think I have ever seen anyone being so happy about self-deprecation like this. -James holding the controller like a gangster everytime when he's at Mike's place...that's cute. -OK, I really have no idea what they were going for with the last 30 seconds of the video...Halloween was over at that point and it was more going into Christmas at that time so I really have no clue what they were shooting at. -Still, a fun short episode due to all the stuff before the last 30 seconds.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 3, 2021 1:31:06 GMT -5
Let's turn some robots into scrap metal when James & Mike play Blazing Chrome for the Sony Playstation 4: -Basically a game that, as James & Mike mention several times, gives off the feeling of the Sega Genesis/SNES Contra games (like Contra III: The Alien Wars, for example) and, from what I have seen of those games, their assessment is correct basically. This really feels like a game that would not have felt out of place in the early/mid-1990s.
-So, I guess by that insert, Mike doesn't like Contra: Hard Corps all that much?
-Definitely not one of the discussion-laden episodes of James & Mike Mondays as Mike explains James how to play the game and then they just go through the game (on Easy mode as they later realize).
-As with most games they have played, playing with 2 players is definitely not as easy.
-OK, either the music sounds very similar or they decided to play other music tracks during this video...because that music when they fight the spider/bug boss sounds a lot like a Turtles In Time music track.
-Now there's an idea for amusement parks: do Konami Land, Capcom Land, Sunsoft Land etc.. But please let them be real places and not virtual ones like Nintendo Land.
-I have to say that that snow speeder section looks a lot more "bear"able than the actual Turbo Tunnel in Battletoads.
-All in all, a good video that was very light on actual discussions but featured an entertaining game to watch and sometimes that's all you need.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 4, 2021 1:52:23 GMT -5
*cough**cough**cough*...dunno why I just got a coughing fit. Anyway, let's watch James & Mike play Hack 2 for the SNES: -Available on the SNES Variety Pack, this is a Super Mario World hack but with a little more pizzazz. I am happy personally that before we enter the Covid-19 phase of J&MM we got to see them at least play a Super Mario hack one more time (since that is what started all this as seen on the first page of this thread). -Yeah, they really don't like this title which is why their video title says something different. Though why didn't they go with Candy World Mario like Mike says, I wonder? -This is a really hard video for me to describe since I really love the creativity the maker of this hack put into this game with the different levels but I also don't want to spoiler anything since I feel everyone should watch the video for themselves to see an arrangement of awesomely crafted stages. -Bangin' was a hip word in the 1990s? I guess almost as much as radical was? -Channelling that Klingon captain from Star Trek 3 I see? What nerds. -Just now noticed that the location of this video could be Mike's office room he uses for streaming. After watching some of his livestreams for the past few months, I learned that currently he does his livestreams from an office room in an office building instead of at home. Dunno the reason for that (especially since his room is where another company has their coffee machine so he sometimes gets disturbed by other people getting their coffee). Cannot remember if this is the first J&MM video he did from there but it's just something I noticed. -It is somehow noticiable that James & Mike had a lot of fun in these past few videos which really makes these even more entertaining. It is kinda sad to see that they had such a good groove in that timeframe before Covid-19 hit. Also really would have loved to see them do those Game & Watch Gallery games on J&MM. -Wow, what an abrupt ending for that video. Did the camera just die? -A very good episode with a very energetic James & Mike playing a very creative hack. Love it.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 5, 2021 10:08:14 GMT -5
I was mistaken. The ninja in Shinobi 3 was a rank amateur compared to the true video game ninja hero Ryu...as we shall see when James & Mike play Ninja Gaiden for the NES: -A different kind of video that they have only done once with their first Super C video (cannot remember if that is correct or not) as it is an unedited episode and it is Mike playing through the whole game and showing James some tricks he found out to get through the game better. -Mike mentions that he had to practice the game for a while beforehand to be this good at it and even mentions having pulled off a No Death and even a No Death, No Subweapons run. Those streams should be interesting to watch. James mentions that the only game he could probably pull that off with would be Super C basically but he had to practice before that and just cannot find the time anymore to do this. -A lot of interesting tidbits about the AVGN Ninja Gaiden episode. Essentially, James did try to beat the game for the episode but several hard parts prevented him from doing it, most infamously the fact that if you die more than once on the final boss, it doesn't refill your health afterwards, requiring you to beat the boss essentially at your first tries. To him, this is basically the only blemish on an otherwise great game. -The death boost...certainly a helpful thing to do with some parts. -They don't mention it during this episode...but I find it weird that during some levels the role of the Castlevania candles is taken over by...insects and birds you kill in the level. This is really such an odd thing that I am surprised that they don't mention it. -2 tips from Mike to beat this game: 1. Get the Spin Slash, 2. Do the Spin Slash cancel so you don't waste the Spin Slash when you don't need it in order to preserve your Ninpo energy for the bosses....kinda doesn't matter since Mike gets killed after the final point where he can get the spin slash so he has to finish it without anyway. -Top 10 Jason Voorhees lookalikes in video games...I guess the main character from Splatterhouse would be on top of the list. -Hmm, I guess you could call Ninja Gaiden a precursor to Abobo's Big Adventure in a way...since it throws everything all over the place at you with bats, robots, aliens etc.. -Overall, an enjoyable episode. It is not a format that I would have liked to see more often but for short games like this it is good. Really loved how they talked about the AVGN episode as well.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 6, 2021 2:39:21 GMT -5
Another 2-for-1 sale today! First up, Yippie-Kai-Yay, motherbuckers! Get ready to die when James & Mike play Die Hard for the PC Engine: -That is certainly an interesting cover they use. If you cannot read Japanese, you wouldn't even know that this is a Die Hard game from the cover alone. -That opening stage with the top-down view and the "jungle" (though it is supposed to be more of a forest) certainly brings to mind Metal Gear for the NES (though the NES Die Hard was kinda like that too). -Where do you stand in the debate whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not? That is certainly an interesting topic to discuss with James being firmly on the side that Christmas should be a central focus of a movie to call it a Christmas movie (so he wouldn't count Gremlins, Batman Returns etc. as Christmas movies). -Now there's a Top 10 list: Top 10 list of games that don't have trees. It also reminds them of having done a lot of Top 10 videos in their earlier years but stopped doing them due to the high attention they needed (although they still loved doing them). -So, Die Hard is their favorite of the Die Hard movies with the last one that had come out at that time (December 2019), A Good Day To Die Hard, being the worst one. -They also mention that while physical media (including VHS) still has merit due to many obscure movies not being out on the streaming services, they acknowledge one positive about streaming: you can start the game immediately without logos, commercials, going through a menu etc. like you would on a DVD/Blu-Ray. Also love the story of James having to destroy the packaging of a movie named Hammerhead because he just couldn't get the packaging open. -So, James doesn't like mazes all that much. In general, both of them appear to have pretty bad memories when I remember Mike's streams that I have watched so far. -They thought at first that it was a good game, but the maze ruins it a bit for them. Still probably a better game than the NES Die Hard game. -Overall, a very good episode due to the fun discussions and a good-looking game. Next up, is the Quik Rabbit behind this game? We shall find out when James & Mike play Qix for the NES: -I remember having Qix for the Game Boy at one point. Never figured out what I was supposed to do in that game so threw it pretty much to the "never played again" pile. -But first, they play a different game so that Mike can explain the concept better. By which I mean Cacoma Knight In Bizyland for the SNES. -That one is certainly a beautiful looking game, especially with those anime graphics I see at one point. -Things I learned: James's favorite cheeses are muenster, smoked gouda and manchego. He even makes that old gouda joke. -Dammit, James, what did those owls ever do to you? -So, the NES Qix is not as colorful and also different from the Cacoma Knight one. Now that one looks more like the Game Boy one I played. It also kinda looks like something you would find on the Atari 2600 (Mike does mention that Atari 2600 also had a Qix game...I kinda shudder to think how that one looked). -That is one longass name James puts in. -All in all, a decent episode. Nothing too extraordinary but still good.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 7, 2021 1:32:42 GMT -5
Who dares make a mockery of such great shmups like Gradius, Twinbee etc? Let's find out when James & Mike play Parodius for the Super Famicom: -Now this brings me back down memory lane...a game I owned back when we had the Super Nintendo. Apparently (going by what James & Mike are saying), this game was never released in the USA so I guess this is another one of those games that only Japan and Europe got (like with The Firemen). Anyway, I really loved the game, I loved the graphics, the music, the humor that I did get (like flying through a bathhouse with all those characters cleaning themselves) etc.. I have to admit though that my brother and I found a code in a German Nintendo Power issue (I think?) that allowed for invincibility early on and we hardly ever played the game fairly, making it all the way to the end with the invincibility code. Not fair, I know, but still, we had so much fun with the game that we still felt that we got our bang for our buck so it will always have a special place in my heart. -The reason they played it? James looked at a list of Funniest SNES Games, found it and suggested it...making Mike very happy since he is a shmup fan (or a cute 'em up game in this case) and he is a big fan of the series. -Have to say that I am surprised that the franchise made it to the Sega Saturn era with Sexy Parodius being called the best game in the series...and from the looks of it, it does look pretty great. -Looking at it certainly brings back the memories and I love seeing James enjoying this game as well. -Hmm, Sam The Eagle is apparently tougher in the NES version going by Mike's angry reaction in his stream snippet. -Wondering if James's shmup technique of just focusing on his ship is a good strategy to play these type of games. -James really has a problem moving around under a woman's legs. -Too bad that they only made it up to the third level. This is a game where I really would have loved for them to play it through just to see James's reaction to the other levels and bosses (especially the spooky level). -Overall, a good episode mostly for taking me back down memory lane and seeing James & Mike enjoying a game that I remember from my own childhood.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 8, 2021 2:41:08 GMT -5
You want to play a lot of SNES games but don't want to have all those cartridges clutter your space at home? Watch James & Mike give you the easy fix when they play the SNES Variety Pack for the SNES: -As it turns out, it is just another Everdrive cartridge instead of something more special I'd hoped. So all those previous episodes where I talked about the SNES Variety Pack? You can chuck that all up to some Everdrive cartridge instead of something else entirely. -I have wondered...when they go through the game select screen, I see several versions of the same game without any distinction of why it is supposed to be different. Are those really unique versions of the same game or did they just put the same game over and over and over again to fill out the space on those Everdrives? -So, to clarify, all those games are SNES games. -First, it's Mighty Max. I have seen the cartoon intro a few times and I know that there were some toy commercials on German TV but I cannot remember whether the Mighty Max cartoon ever ran on German TV. At least I never saw it. From the look of the game, the fact that you can "control" the camera is neat but as James adequately demonstrates, it makes one nauseous and it was probably already over for James the moment that he couldn't get the frickin' balloon. -Next up, it's Beethoven's 2nd based on the movie. I remember watching the first movie and liking it a lot (featuring the cute oldest child who also appeared on The Nanny), watching it a few times but the second one I only watched once or twice. James also mentions having seen the first movie but that was a long, long time ago (probably when it first came out). As for the game, it's terrible. Everything seems to hurt you (even the FENCE) and what an annoying way to pick up the items. Only brownie point it gets is for the tornado cat. -James sums it up best "How was this big dog defeated by a poodle?!" -Following that, it's Bastard! (and, of course, that's a title that James & Mike like). OMG, it's a game based off of a manga that I actually read very early into my anime & manga fanhood. An entertaining sword'n sorcery story for the most part (with one of the crudest anime heros you can imagine) but it fell off once they brought in the fight between heaven and hell. Really wish that I could tell James some of the names used for places and spells in that manga because, given some of his t-shirt choices he's shown on the show over the years, his interest might be piqued. -Definitely a weird sort of fighting game with odd controls though James definitely proves to be the bigger bastard by being better at this game than Mike. Oh, how I wish I could have told them who these characters are since I recognized all three of them. -Sadly, to this day, I still don't know what was behind Adult Manga that James & Mike wouldn't show us. -After that, it is Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story based off the 1993 movie. I watched the movie a few times and I thought it was a good movie though very weird for a biographical one. I rented this game a few times but I didn't get very far. James & Mike try it out but don't find anything noteworthy about it. -To follow up on that, it's The Flintstones based off of the 1994 live-action movie. The game character does look like John Goodman but otherwise, it is not very good. James & Mike do have praise for the movie for it's casting with Goodman and Rick Moranis being good choices for Fred & Barney but otherwise, no strong opinion on the movie otherwise. Interestingly, instead of using a better game hint like Prince Of Persia, Mike decides to use Lester The Unlikely as a hint for what James might need to do to progress. -Going to a more traditional Flintstones game with The Flintstones - Treasure Of The Sierra Madrock. That actually leads into a funny discussion about Treasure Of The Sierra Madre and how Humphrey Bogart would react to this game...if he hadn't died about 34 years prior to the release of the Super Nintendo. -Another game I rented a bit as a child. I liked the Jump'n Run parts but I disliked the racing parts that came up because one of the later ones I just couldn't beat (not shown here). -They really are way off with their guesses sometimes...thinking Flintstones originated in the 1920s or something (though that could have been Mike messing with James again). -OMG, Mike reenacting how Fred might act if he really did have a club. -Last, it's Congo based off the 1995 movie which I have never seen. Interesting choice though to start the game with a rail shooter stage where you shoot gorillas to death. -Overall, a good episode with a variety of games and I really dug that Bastard! game they played.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 9, 2021 0:24:05 GMT -5
Oh no, they actually made a sequel! I just hope the cane kills more than bees when James & Mike play Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde Returns: -Another one of those where I have no idea on what they are playing. The game box says PC on it, they use an XBox controller to play it, they don't say it themselves...so yeah, no idea on which system or computer they are playing this. -Well, it already has a therapeutic effect on James by him being able to kill one of those bombermen finally. -Looking at it it feels like a weird mix of Castlevania (the level layout they chose, the weapons you can use) and Ghosts'n Goblins (because the opening cutscene is kinda reminiscent of how that game starts with your girlfriend, or bride in this case, gets kidnapped). -From their assessment, it is a far superior game to the original because while it is difficult, it is still fair in their opinion. Even the lightning bolts that come up make them angry but in a good way and not in an aggravating way. And hey, they can finally kill Billy Pones, that singing lady and the butthole that throws those barrels which is immensely helpful. -I kinda wonder what that guy with the Jekyll & Hyde bumper sticker would have thought about this strange bespactacled man laying down and doing a selfie with the bumper sticker. It also makes me wonder in how much the AVGN episodes regarding that game helped in the original game becoming a sort of cult classic (or even if it is considered a cult classic nowadays). -The Headless One...remember him from Jekyll & Hyde? Kinda looks like a headless Joker and is certainly probably as tough as that one from the Batman NES game. -Eyes on the checkpoint, James, not on the treasure. -That second stage looks even more Castlevania-like than the first stage...and I know now that those brain creatures from the original are called Shepps. Wondering if that will help me sometime in life. -The game even has a shop...too bad James & Mike don't have enough money to buy anything. -Took them long enough to find out what that other meter does. -They could have done a whole separate video on that subject alone...how to fix bad video games like Fester's Quest, Silver Surfer, The Wizard Of Oz etc.. That could have been an interesting video. -To conclude, another very good episode with them finally enjoying a Jekyll & Hyde related video game
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 9, 2021 23:55:53 GMT -5
Let's race again! Like we did last summer!...when we watch James & Mike play some Super Mario Kart Hacks: -Again done via the SNES Variety Pack Everdrive they used in some previous episodes. -First up, it is Super Baldy Kart where it seems like it is not based off of anything that well-known (perhaps the maker did just use people he knows and his own interests for the designs) but it still has some creative idea like using a spaceman instead of Lakitu and having interesting track designs. -James hasn't played the original in a long time but he appears to be right at home playing this game again. -Love that story about Arnold Schwarzenegger tricking Sylvester Stallone into taking the "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot" gig. A movie that James admits that he has only seen bits and pieces of (too bad...though I admit I have seen that movie only once maybe). -The Great Bikini Off-Road Adventure...now that's some quality movie title that should tell you all about how this one should be in everybody's library. -Now there's some interesting discussion: instead of asking actors about their own movies, why not just ask actors about what their favorite movies are? Could be more interesting than just the same old, same old (the video actually has a pop-up saying what Arnold said his favorite movies are). -Will we see James bald in 15 years? Only time will tell. -Next up, it's Street Fighter Kart, Super Mario Kart with Street Fighter characters. Love that Dhalsim takes up Lakitu's role and that the ki-based attacks are part of the weapons you can use. -Nice, James, that he knows that Chun-Li's ki-based attack is named Kikouken without looking it up. Also, imagine if you had to activate the attacks in this kart game like you would do in Street Fighter II. -Another interesting discussion topic: ask actors about the movie-based games first instead of the movies (like asking John Goodman about the movie-based game off of The Flintstones...their discussion also makes me think that this was recorded before the previous episodes). -Last, it's Super Teletubbies Kart. A very lazy hack but I am scared that Mike knows the names of the Teletubbies off the top of his head (also imagine playing as the creepy sun baby in this one). -Overall, a very fine episode with interesting discussions and some good-looking hacks.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 11, 2021 4:04:37 GMT -5
Who would settle for 1 video when you can have 2? First up, it is the origin movie for that fantastic TV show "The Lion Guard"...or at least a game version of it when James & Mike play The Lion King for Sega Genesis: -The Lion King went right by James when it first came out since he was more into horror stuff at that time in his life. Though he surprises Mike by pulling out a factoid Mike doesn't know...that the Lion King actually has a midquel named "The Lion King 1 1/2". I know of that movie and it does make me wonder: how many movies/franchises had midquels really? I cannot think of anything off of the top of my head, to be honest. -I rented the SNES version a few times as a child and while the point of this video by Mike is that the Genesis version is superior to the SNES version, I don't remember having a lot of trouble with the areas Mike mentions. I think I made it up to the bramble stage where it became too hard for me or my continues went out and that's where I stopped. Certainly never made it to the waterfall stage with the butt-shooting gorilla. -During the first stage, Mike is basically the instructor telling James about the cool stuff you can get which helps you through the game...including getting that ladybug (too bad Simba is not a black cat to make the Miraculous reference easier). -What a clear James Earl Jones speech sample for that game. -Next up, it is the second stage that Mike says has rather bucked up parts like figuring out that you have to roar at the pink monkeys to progress or how to do that double jump during the ostrich riding section. Cannot say that I remember those parts being that frustrating when I played it as a child. Then again, I didn't have any problems figuring out Ellie The Elephant's controls in DKC3 either so maybe I was just better at remembering stuff in some games compared to James and Mike. -Darn, now I really would have liked to see them tackle this Beauty And The Beast game which Mike says is the worst Disney game he has ever played. Checking up on it, I guess he means the SNES game since there is no other game from that time frame. -Talking about Disney games's difficulty in general...having played the whole Disney Afternoon collection last year, I would definitely agree with Mike that Darkwing Duck and Talespin for the NES are hard games (especially Talespin surprised me at how difficult it was). -Always hate health-lowering items like that bug here (or the poison in Faxanadu). -They do put on the SNES version to compare and indeed...unlike the Aladdin games, the two Lion King games look virtually identical. -Have to say that I cannot help but chuckle at Simba's silly looking expression when he dies. -So in the SNES version you cannot grab on to the hippos' head and climb up...you have to use the rhinos' tails to swing to and fro to get up there which makes this more difficult due to the shoddy hit detection. Again, I really cannot remember having had that much trouble with it and I do remember some frustrating game elements from other games when I was a child. -Always remember: when playing The Lion King, choose the Sega Genesis version and the six-button controller (since it helps you in your final battle with Scar). Have to watch Mike's livestreams of these one of these days. -Overall, another good episode mostly due to the nostalgia factor of seeing a game on there that I played in the past (granted, it was the SNES version I played but still). Next up, we encounter something that I have recently loved to hate when playing Axiom Verge...and it is taken up to 11 here when James & Mike play a Super Metroid hack: -The gimmick here is that you have to rely on the grapple beam to move onwards which isn't easy...even for James to whom Super Metroid is one of his two most favorite games of all time. -This video poses interesting questions: like what would you do if you had a grapple beam...or about the conundrums of an invisibility ability (would you have to be naked for it to be useful, wouldn't only your skin be transparent with everything else visible, etc.)...or if it would be really worth it to be Frankenstein's monster if you looked like him. Questions among questions... -Yeah, not much gaming content here but I love the above discussions which is why I find this still to be a good episode.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 12, 2021 3:23:34 GMT -5
Gotta have to watch my language now which is not easy when James & Mike play Deadpool for the NES: -Sadly, it is no actual Deadpool game on NES but a homebrew based off of the Ninja Gaiden games. Have to say (like James & Mike do too) that they put a lot of original ideas and efforts into it, changing the level design, redesigning the cutscenes to be more in the humor of Deadpool and having some cool twists (Deadpool's teleportation attack, no time limit, Deadpool having a regeneration ability). James even says that this game could very well go through as an original game if there weren't the small things that still remind you that it's based off of Ninja Gaiden. -They do like the two Deadpool movies (well, James does since Mike still hadn't seen the second one until that point, February 2020) with James liking the scene where Deadpool visiting the X-Men mansion the most. -Talking about several ideas for video game movies which all amount to doing movies based off of the big NES games done in 1980s style (Ninja Gaiden, Contra, The Legend Of Zelda etc.). Of course, James would love to direct them (who would have guessed). Interestingly enough they mention a Mario movie being made...was a new Super Mario movie supposed to come out in 2020 or something? -Yeah, both of them definitely do have fun with this game, especially James spamming the teleport slash all over the place. -I can imagine someone being the hero of the schoolground when showing his classmates a game like this back in the 1980s. He would have been made for life probably. -That's a really easy pattern to do for those demon dogs. -Don't you hate it when the boss can also regenerate energy like this? -All in all, a fun video with a cool homebrew and you can just see James & Mike loving it a lot.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 13, 2021 3:13:08 GMT -5
Well, I guess four heroes have to fight over who gets to kiss the rescued princess in this one when James & Mike play King's Knight for the NES: -Just like the second part of Bart's Nightmare, this is more of "Mike explaining the game to James" than both of them actually playing the game. I could imagine that around this time period is where we hit the snag where James just wasn't that interested in games anymore and Mike was the one more interested in them which could have contributed to them turning that hiatus into a permanent one. -I didn't even know that Square did other genres besides RPGs before seeing that video. Though given the quality of this game, it is probably easier to see why they stuck with RPGs from then on. -I think James's reactions about sums it up when hearing Mike's explanations about this game. He actually mentions that now he knows what it feels like when someone describes a bad game to someone else because he doesn't even want to try out the game himself. See how it feels now, James? -Cat turds...now James has a new comparison for his next AVGN video. -Interspersed through this are clips from Mike's livestream of that game (which he actually beat) and it is actually one of the livestreams I am looking forward to (mostly because it is titled Gradual Descent Into Madness and also because of the thumbnail Mike uses for the unedited playthrough). -All in all, it is a decent video. I guess what doesn't make it as fun is the whole "Mike explaining stuff" angle doesn't lend itself to a really fun video. I would have preferred it more if it were "Mike lets James try out this game while laughing inside over James getting confused" which is a funnier way to go about this. As it is, it is still decent to watch for this very confusing game but not because of any fun discussions they have while doing it.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 14, 2021 3:28:40 GMT -5
Hopefully this small fella won't get his hair cut like his big brother and lose all his powers. We shall find out how James & Mike handle it when they play Little Samson for the NES: -One of the rarest games both James & Mike own (though as James will find out, compared to his other rare games like Cheetahmen II or Coltron 6-in-1, this one is actually fun to play) with them getting to talk a bit about the ridiculous prices rare NES games get sold for these days (with some prices so high that one could buy a car for that kind of money). -They reminisce a bit about games like these being really rare and not selling many cartridges while stuff like Ikari Warriors sold like gangbusters despite being much worse in comparison. Funny coincidence considering tonight Mike's livestream of playing Ikari Warriors a few months ago is on my Watchlist. -Little Samson does look like a fun game, reminding me a bit of Bucky O'Hare with it being a Jump'n Run where you can change between characters, each having their different abilities. A quick check shows that Bucky was made by Konami while this one was made by Taito so it is not the same company who was responsible for this one. Fun little discussion regarding the last one where James learned that through Raphael from the TMNT turtles pronouncing his sai weapons as "seye" he knew how the company name Taito was pronounced and also with Ninja Gaiden. Too bad he didn't have somebody else helping him in that regard with Ryu. -Also talking a lot about current video games and how the story seems to overwhelm games more and more. When they play games, the gameplay is more important to them than the story because if the game is more story than gameplay, it is not a game, it's a movie. They actually draw lots of good comparisons with Mike playing Final Fantasy X at one point and having to watch 30 minutes of cutscenes before doing anything meaningful (the same amount of time it would take him to play through Contra on NES in one go) or James remembering reading other peoples' opinions about Zelda: Majora's Mask in preparation for his AVGN video and realizing that most people raved about the story and hardly saying anything about the actual gameplay. Also Mike mentions that despite Zelda being his favorite video game franchise, he played those games because they were fun to play and he didn't care much for the actual story. Fun moment with James mentioning that Zelda was actually what brought him into the whole fantasy area of fiction because he learned about stuff like Lord Of The Rings much later than Zelda. -This game/movie discussion also brings them again to video game movies, this time more about how they dislike the "fish out of water" trope of having the video game character being stranded in the real world (simply because from what they've heard, it would make the movie more relatable by being set in the real world compared to the world the video game character is from). Of course, they find that argument ridiculous because of the whole amount of movies that take place in fantasy worlds without Hollywood batting an eye. Still, they liked the Sonic movie but would still prefer that new Super Mario movie coming out to take place in the mushroom kingdom the whole time. Again, I don't remember anything about a Super Mario Bros. movie coming out. Was that postponed due to Covid-19, has it been cancelled entirely or what? -In another discussion in this discussion-heavy video, Mike mentions something that I have heard him say in a 2021 stream as well: he is just so tired of franchises and would be very happy if there is no other Star Wars, Star Trek, superhero etc. movie coming out because he is just fed up with it. It is not clear whether it is because he wants to rather have something original put out by Hollywood or if it is just an overload of it that annoys him. He admits that he likes the original Star Wars trilogy, he still likes Star Trek TOS and The Next Generation: he just doesn't want anymore of these franchises coming out. Something else that he would like stopped is new Batman movies or movies involving Batman characters because he also is tired of those movies despite him being a big Batman fan. I guess it is true that even if you like cake, getting fed cake all the time would make you sick of it eventually. -Gotta love that picture that Mike took at the Star Wars Galaxy Edge entertainment venue which, to him, sums up the Star Wars franchise pretty much and how he would rather people go to the Epcot Center than going to that Star Wars venue. I admit it made me laugh too. -Although they have talked about it before, I admit that I am guilty as well of throwing away the NES boxes after getting the game. How stupid we all were as kids back then and it really makes me sad when I see those games only being sold bare bones. Too bad, the Sega Genesis model of hosting games couldn't have been introduced earlier to give Nintendo an idea. New in that discussion is Mike mentioning the Sega Saturn cases and how easily those can break which shows that even Sega could not see what gold they had struck with the Sega Genesis concept. -I admit while it is good today to have all NES games on stuff like Everdrives, it is kinda sad that more and more cartridges will cease to function leaving you with no possibility to play the games on the individual cartridges anymore. -Oh yeah, they also play Little Samson which Mike can tell James really likes, having had so much experience over the years watching James play that he knows when James is really into something. And why not, the game has good graphics, good controls, good music...it definitely seems like it should have gotten more love during its original release. -Overall, a very entertaining episodes with lots of neat discussion topics that were a blast to listen to as well as having a really good game to watch as well.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 15, 2021 3:19:06 GMT -5
Let's fly up to the sky and blow up dragons and brain/eye monsters and stuff when James & Mike play Legendary Wings for the NES: -Ah, who wouldn't remember that most evil of villains, the legendary Dark Onward! -Interesting looking game featuring both top-down and side-scrolling levels and you playing as angel-type characters. Also neat that you can get sucked into both bonus zones and punishment zones. -What would an NES game be without slowdown? It would really feel like it misses something without it (and I personally wouldn't want cartridges/systems that got rid of the slowdown. I really liked that, for example, the Mega Man Legacy Collection kept the slowdown, making me feel right at home back to my childhood). -Good, James, hug all the power-ups, Mike surely doesn't mind! -They really have to restart a lot this time around, mostly because they really want to do this as two players. Good for them, better than when one just watches. -Helicopter view...now that is a cute and fitting synonym for top-down view that should have gotten more traction. -Huh, I guess the dragon from Mega Man 2 took some sidejobs after working for Dr. Wily. Kinda fitting that they do mention this game having some Mega Man sound effects in it (since it is from Capcom). -Woah, the Sega Mark III...I just asked Mike during a livestream and he hasn't yet down a stream on this system yet since he still only has four games. Tis a shame because it does look like a really cool system. -Overall, a decent episode featuring a good game and some fun interactions.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 16, 2021 0:27:59 GMT -5
Oh hey, it's that show with the beautiful lady who didn't know who Bob Uecker was at Wrestlemania IV. Let's see how James & Mike fare with the game version when they play Wheel Of Fortune for the NES: -Well, they did watch and enjoy it back when they were young and actually mention that at that time (March 2020), Vanna White actually has become the host of Wheel Of Fortune. How the times change. -It's Mike, James (as Azzzzzzz) as well as Joe playing. Who's Joe, you might ask? The first guest on James & Mike Mondays who doesn't even know he's a guest since he is only an A.I. (though they make some reference to another Joe by adding in clips...and I have no idea who this Joe in the clips is). -Love the story about how James showed his daughter America's Funniest Home Videos for the first time and she just cracked up at it. I know the feeling since I also loved watching the German equivalent shows as a child laughing my head off. The cherry on top is Mike of course, singing along with the theme song. -Wow, Joe is really intelligent, managing to get the word "Jumping Jack" from just the letter N. Really, their anger at this Joe character (mocking his spinning strength, threatening him) is a highlight of this episode...especially since he wins the first round. -Well, I guess they leave Joe out of the game for the second go with James now going by the name...Sid. -It looks like they have finally had an epiphany that people on the Internet are more interested in negative stuff than positive so they decide to just make a new show which is all negativity, all the time. Sounds like a well put together plan. -Apple Cider. An answer that Applejack would like. And I just love them throwing apple terms at each other and cracking up over it. -Sadly, Mike cannot answer the final round so no dream vacation to Hawaii for Mike. -To conclude, a good episode with some funny moments and even a simple game providing some entertaining watching.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 17, 2021 5:57:51 GMT -5
Look, Bowser, can't you find a nice reptile lady to marry? Do you really have to force Princess Peach into marriage? I hope James & Mike will stop you when they play Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES: -OK, we have finally arrived at the Covid-19 era of James & Mike Mondays, i.e. the era where they do this show from separate locations and not together in the same place. Sadly, this also means that we are at the home stretch of this show...not many more Mondays, many more games left. -They are gonna do an experiment with this one. I'll try if I get it right...so they will get the flutes and then one will warp immediately to World 5 and beat all those worlds until getting to World 8 while the other will hold unto them until he finishes World 4 and then warp to World 8. That way they can cover all the worlds without having it turn into a race because this is not a race. Certainly an interesting way of doing things. -Also, new record holder for the longest episode, ticking in at almost 1 h 30 minutes. -Darn, it feels so weird that the sponsor for this is a Bleach mobile game. I am wondering if the maker send the ad text for Mike to read or if Mike came up with it himself. Bleach was an anime I actually watched for a long time before I fell out with it. Wondering what Mike and James would think about its concept. -I had Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES but neither my brother or me could ever finish it, but my uncle finished it one day after we gave the NES to him (and I actually watched him defeat Bowser). Still, we had a fun time playing it. -Great, not even a few minutes in and James bucked up getting the flute so he has to restart 2 times while Mike just moves onward without doing a reset during the whole video. -Much talk about the AVGN episode they did on Super Mario Bros. 3 which was kinda a weird one from what I remember where the Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge had the devil in it? Certainly one I only watched once and not much more after that. -To be honest, before I heard the Nostalgia Critic and the AVGN talk about it, I had never heard about the movie "The Wizard" (or as it's German title is "Joy Stick Heroes"). Granted I was only about 4-5 when this movie came out so it might have been advertised in Germany but I honestly never knew about its existence. James mentions liking it back as a kid (while Mike was annoyed as a kid that they showed so little gameplay footage which he was more interested in) but notes that as an adult, it feels more like an advertisement for Nintendo products like the hotline, the Power Glove (It's So Bad!) and, of course, Super Mario Bros. 3. -Speaking of video game movies, they also talk about the Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993 that I actually saw in theatres (which was an experience I'll never forget...mostly because including me, my brother and my brother's friend, there were only 6 people in total for that showing...it confused me because I was used to cinemas being full when movies were shown). Definitely didn't know that the Big Bertha character in that movie was supposed to be based off of the Big Bertha fish enemy in SMB3. -Mike definitely missed his calling as a Nintendo hotline helper...while James missed his calling as a phone sex worker given Mike's comments about his reactions to being eaten by Big Bertha in the game. -That is kinda a good question: why was there never a Mrs. Bowser introduced in the games (I mean since he already has kids and all)? I guess we now have Bowsette to take that place but still...kinda wonder whether Bowser's children still play a part in any modern Mario games or if they have been forgotten in favor of Bowser Jr.? -Speaking of other Super Mario games, James mentions that Super Mario World and, actually, Super Mario 3D World are his current favorite Super Mario Bros. games. With the latter, it is especially because he plays it with his daughter and they both have fun doing those games. -Hmm, a little bit of foreshadowing here with James mentioning getting a Nintendo Switch and seeing Adventures Of Lolo on there, downloading it and then trying to beat it (to the chagrin of his daughter who really wanted to play Minecraft with him). He's still hoping to beat it one of these days. -Ok...didn't know that Minecraft is actually a game that you can beat by defeating a dragon. Always thought it was just a simulation/creation game. -Well, now I know all three flute locations. Thanks, James & Mike. -OK, they think that Big Bertha and the flying bowling balls are the hardest enemies in the game. -One criticism they have about this game: the lack of variety in the mid-level castle bosses as in basically just fighting Boom-Boom over and over again. They like him as a boss fairly well but it could have used some different bosses there. -Eventually Mike beats the game before James and just begins playing the game again while James finishes with the game. -Dammit, that last part of the game I was really hoping for James to beat the game during this episode and him failing time and again made me fear that this episode will end on a sad note. Luckily, he beat Bowser eventually (with some good tips by Mike). -Overall, a really entertaining episode with lots of stuff covered that I cannot do justice here while playing a classic NES game. Definitely one of the highlights of the later J&MM run.
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Post by Mandarin Dessert Version 0 on May 18, 2021 4:46:28 GMT -5
When some thugs kidnap your daughter, any normal mayor would just give in to their demands...but not Mike Haggar and his buddies Guy and Cody as we shall see when James & Mike play Final Fight for the Arcade: -A game they are actually able to do from remote locations together. I guess they are using a newer console for this one although I don't know which console they are using for this. -The SNES Final Fight was actually a regular rental for me because I really enjoyed the game. I think the best I actually did was getting to the last level but I never beat it because of only having a certain amount of continues and it being a hard game. Several things about this game that were changed in the SNES version have been mentioned several times already (like the changing of names, changing Foxy and Roxy for Billy and Sid etc.) but the one I am wondering the most is why they got rid of one level in the SNES version. Maybe we shall see why that is. -Sadly, it is a friendly fire type game...something both James & Mike "really" enjoy. -Wish I could have told them that the most obvious reason for Andore's name is just that it is how Andre The Giant's name would be spelled in Japanese hiragana/katakana (A-N-DO-RE). Still, it leads to a fun wrestling discussion by them where they mention that wrestling looks interesting but they just didn't have the time or the interest when they were kids to get too much into it. Mike, at least at that time (April 2020), watched some clips of 1980s wrestling with Hulk Hogan and friends and he found it pretty hilarious (not for the sport aspect but because of the storylines and the comedic acting). I wonder if that Hogan/Andre contract signing is on the WWE Network somewhere? -Yeah, Katana (or Sodom as he was called originally) was a pain in the butt because of his charging attack everytime after you took aways his swords. I am glad that James & Mike share that sentiment. -Love that compilation of stuff James has said as the AVGN over the years...and it is interesting to see that he draws the line at that cat-related term that I don't want to write out here. -James should have gotten the job as screamer for beat em ups since he does a pretty nice Colossus and Haggar scream. -That being said, again they mention that The Simpsons Arcade Game as well as the X-Men Beat Em Up arcade game never got a port to a home console which is a darn shame because they looked pretty good. -I wonder if that Happy Days situation has been remedied since last year since it is kinda crazy to think that a well-known sitcom like it doesn't have all its seasons on a big streaming service somewhere. We do learn some of James & Mike's favorite sitcoms from way back when (Mike really likes All In The Family especially). -How do you know that they are good friends? When Mike says that James should do something...and does it himself anyway. -Overall, another good episode bringing me some nostalgic memories while having some fun James & Mike interaction.
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